Group Launches Petition to Oppose Marijuana Tax

California Sen. Mike McGuire, from Sonoma County, wants to tax medical marijuana at its point of sale. Under his proposal 15 percent of sales would go to the people of the Golden State.

“This needed revenue will make our communities stronger by focusing on the impacts of cultivation and use of marijuana, including funding local law enforcement and neighborhood improvement programs, state parks, drug and alcohol treatment and environmental rehabilitation,” the lawmaker said in a statement.

The medical marijuana community is already pretty unhappy about the proposal, revealed last week as a way to raise “$ 100 million in new revenue,” in the words of McGuire’s office.

Americans for Safe Access quickly started circulating an online petition to oppose the bill, SB 987, which would send nearly a third of the proposed taxes to the yet-to-be-created state Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation.

“The new tax will be in addition to the ordinary state sales tax and any local tax patients already pay for their doctor-recommend medicine,” ASA said. “SB 987 imposes an unnecessary and unfair burden on medical cannabis patients.”